Smart gun processor controlled method for automatic load and firing

ABSTRACT

A microprocessor-controlled method for implementing jam-resistant “automatic cycling functioning” of an automatic rifle or gun provides faster rate and variable rate of fire, user-selectable burst rate, no gas-loss in muzzle velocity, belt-fed autoloader, and closed-loop control. The method is implemented throughout the eight cycles of functioning (feeding, chambering, locking, firing, unlocking, extracting, ejecting, and cocking) beginning after the loaded magazine has been inserted in the weapon. The microprocessor-controlled in conjunction with other electrical-mechanical subcomponents provides greater performance, reliability, and real-time diagnostics. The present invention with its unique design, results in significant reduction in components making the unit potentially lighter overall in weight.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of earlier filing date and right of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/921,809, filed 8 Jul. 2019, the contents of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to automatic firing rifles and machine guns and more specifically it relates to the Bolt Carrier Group (GRP) or the primary mechanism responsible for the automatic firing and ejecting of spent cartridges, as well as the reloading of new cartridges. The entire sequence if often referred to by the industry as the “automatic cycling functioning” in which the BCG is central.

2. Description of Related Art

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field. Other than subtle differences in materials, tolerances, and manufacturing processes, the basic design of the BCG has remained constant and has not significantly changed in several decades.

In general, the sequence describing the basic operation central to the BCG's role can be described as follows in the following steps. During “feeding”, upon going forward, the bolt strips a round from the magazine. With “chambering” the bolt inserts a round into the chamber. It is at this point that the extractor catches onto the rim of the cartridge. With “locking”, the bolt locks into place in the barrel extension usually by rotating. A cam pin follows a track milled into the bolt carrier and rotates the bolt slightly. With respect to “firing” the sear releases the hammer, which strikes the firing pin (located within the bolt carrier group). This fires the cartridge, which, once the bullet passes the gas port, it sends the gas from the fired cartridge back onto either an actuator rod (in short-stroke and long-stroke piston systems), into a chamber located within the bolt carrier (in expanding gas piston systems), or directly onto the bolt face itself (in direct impingement systems). With “unlocking” the bolt unlocks via the bolt carrier being pushed back, which rotates the bolt. During “extraction”, the bolt, upon unlocking, pulls the cartridge from the chamber. With “ejection” the bolt contains a spring-loaded ejector. During the bolt carrier group's rearward cycle, the ejector ejects the spent casing via the ejection port. At this time, “cocking” occurs as the BCG cycles all the way back, it cocks the hammer, thereby allowing the weapon to be fired again.

The BCG is then sent forward, feeding another cartridge and repeating the process. The slide on a semi-automatic pistol performs these same functions, albeit with slightly different parts and a different operating system altogether (as most pistols are not gas-operated).

From a system standpoint, the prior art as it centers around the BCG can be categorized as an open-loop system. The operating parameters across the eight automatic cyclic function sequence are fixed and constrained based on the limitation of the physical attributes of the law of physics that controls them. One such component is the recoil spring which is responsible for buffering the effects of the recoil as the bolt is accelerated rearwards from the expanding gas fed back by the gas tube barrel. The compressed state of this coil as it decompresses sends the slide/bolt forward in the opposite direction again to load the next cartridge to be fired. Using a very strong recoil spring requires more of gas to be fed back to the gas port to create a force strong enough to move the bolt to its full rearwards position thereby lowering the exit velocity of the bullet.

The trade-off however is that the reload will happen much quicker since the acceleration of the spring as it decompresses and moves the BCG forward is a function of its spring constant. Conversely, using a weak recoil spring may not buffer the energy from the recoil and reload as quickly, but it would not divert as much energies away from the propellant gas providing more of the expanding gas energies to accelerate the bullet to a higher exit velocity.

Another example regarding the limitation associated with the prior art is that burst rate settings (number of rounds fired in succession from a single pull of the trigger) are typically fixed in number. For example, three (3) or five (5) are typical rather than being a variable setting. This limitation perhaps stems from approaching the design from a purely mechanical implementation. Any adjustability to this particular setting would over complicate any mechanical approach to the point not worth the effort.

Another disadvantage is found through the following example which illustrates the inefficiencies of the prior art. On certain automatics such as an M249, the bolt travel in excess in some cases. The M249 light machine gun (LMG) is designed to be fed using cartridge loading or belt loading. Belt loading requires more energies to reload and by virtue requires more gas energies and longer travel to mechanically feed each new round. In theory, in the case for magazine loading, the BCG would only require to travel roughly half the distance back, or just enough to allow the cartridge to drop into the chamber. To simplify the design, the prior art in the case of the M249, the bolt goes through the entire rearward range of motion as it travels regardless whether a magazine or cartridge belt is used. This is an obvious point of inefficiency.

Although strides have been, shortcomings remain. It is desired that an assembly be provided that is increases performance, efficiency, and the reliability of the automatic cycling function.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of bolt carrier group sub-assemblies now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new approach wherein the same can be utilized for increased the performance, efficiencies, and reliability of the automatic cycling functioning.

The present invention provides a novel implementation to the BCG operation by incorporating within a firearm frame a microprocessor/microcontroller in combination with an electric power motor, rectilinear reciprocating actuator, and a solenoid controlled firing pin which curtails many of the issues and inefficiencies found in the prior art. The microprocessor is a closed-loop controlled system and provides consistent reliable performance and recovery or avoidance from potential jamming. The microprocessor can compensate for changes in the environment such temperature and debris and detect and recover from jamming. One example of this would have the bolt easily controlled by the microprocessor to halt the bolt and reverse direction if necessary, to eject the bad cartridge for example. Furthermore, the firearm may include biometric systems in that the microprocessor can be used to deploy such functions as biometrics lockout security, diagnostics, automatic sight adjustments and metrics.

Ultimately the invention may take many embodiments. In these ways, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages inherent in the prior art. The more important features have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and to ensure that the present contribution to the art is appreciated. Additional features will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.

Many objects of the present application will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the various purposes of the present design. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the application itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded view of a microprocessor controlled smart gun for automatic cycle functioning according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tail stock with integrated touch screen for use with the microprocessor controlled smart gun of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an interior of the tail stock of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic for the closed loop system of the microprocessor smart gun of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the microprocessor of FIG. 1.

While the embodiments and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative embodiments of the preferred embodiment are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the embodiments described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.

The embodiments and method in accordance with the present application overcomes one or more of the above-discussed problems commonly associated with the prior art discussed previously with at least a few areas. Firstly, the method replaces a number of components such as the main bolt action produced by both the expanding gas return and particularly spring forced action such as pin firing. Recoil buffering, cocking and chambering has been replaced by electro-mechanical components controlled by a microprocessor. Secondly, the presence of a microprocessor provides additionally rich features such as various controls and settings not typically available to a pure mechanical design. Thirdly, the closed-looped system allows for adapting to changing conditions with the ability to detect early functional or performance issues such as jamming from a bad cartridge or a misload. And lastly, the microprocessor allows for health and performance metrics, diagnostics, and biometric security. These and other unique features are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments and method will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the assembly may be presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless otherwise described.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5 wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements in form and function throughout the several views. The following Figures describe embodiments of the present application and its associated features. With reference now to the Figures, embodiments of the present application are herein described. It should be noted that the articles “a”, “an”, and “the”, as used in this specification, include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

For simplicity, as various callouts are presented herein and within the drawings, it is understood that the respective callouts will refer to the following parts: 800—Firing Solenoid; 801—Belt Feed; 802—Index Servo; 803—Bolt Carrier Group; 804—Barrel; 805—Fingerprint Sensor; 806—Mag Feed; 807—Magazine; 808—Linear Encoder with Optical Sensor Reader; 809—Scotch Yoke with Single Dwell; 810—Rotary Cam; 811—Gear Train; 812—Electric Motor; 813—HUD Display; 814—Battery; 815—Microcontroller; and 816—Weapons Bus.

With respect to FIG. 1, the bolt carrier group (BCG) 803 is depicted to be proportionally shorter than the BCGs on a conventional gas operated automatic weapon and in particularly belt-fed systems. Because the motion of the bolt is controlled in its entirety by the electric motor 812 assembly. This eliminates critical design elements associated with specifics geometries, mass and travel required to satisfy recoil energies required to cock, load and lock the weapon system. The firing solenoid 800 electro-mechanically pushes the firing pin and is controlled directly from a signal provided by the microcontroller 815. The entire firing solenoid 800 is securely attached to the BCG 803 and travels with the entire BCG 803 assembly. The optical index sensor 808 provides position feedback back to the microcontroller 803 for proper control. The position reference is provided by etched ticker marks on the linear encoder 808 which is read directly by the optical index sensor 808. Similarly, the entire optical index sensor 808 is securely attached to the BCG 803 and travels with the entire BCG 803 assembly.

The microcontroller 815 is configured to regulate operations of the system and controls critical functions including the bolt action, firing, and belt feed operations. The microcontroller 815 interfaces to various hardware sensors, actuators and logic by means of a weapons bus 816 as depicted in the MPC block diagram of FIG. 5 which represents the system-wide functional blocks central to the control and services provided by the microcontroller 815 via the weapons bus 816 system. The PID block as indicated in the MPC block diagram of FIG. 5 represents software algorithm central to the precise control of the electric motor 812 which provides the mechanical drive for bolt action and belt-fed control. The battery 814 provides a single power source to operate all electronic components including the microcontroller, circuit boards, sensors, and the electric motor 812. Battery 814 may be of any type and may be rechargeable or discardable. The diagram in FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the primary location of the microcontroller 815 and circuit board assembly. FIG. 3 depicts the subassembly as being concealed between the split-halves of the tail stock assembly.

The entire bolt action of the BCG 803 is controlled by a scotch yoke actuator assembly which is composed of a single dwell 809, rotary cam 810, gear train 811 and electric motor 812 to produce the rectilinear reciprocating motion necessary as illustrated in FIG. 1 (via a rectilinear reciprocating actuator). This assembly transfers the torque from the electric motor 812 into the force necessary to drive the complete automatic cyclic functioning of the weapon system.

FIG. 2 depicts a touch screen display interface embedded flush with the exterior of the tail stock in its fully assembled state. It is understood that many different positions and orientations are possible. The touch screen display is configured to provide the operator the ability to input information to the microcontroller 815 and to receive information back such as resource status, health diagnostic, alerts and performance metrics. Similarly, a head-up-display (HUD) 813 typically located at the gun's sight and provides additional display information such as bullet count remaining. The HUD's transparent background makes it ideal in generating adjustable cross-hair corrected for various conditions such as elevation and windage as provided by appropriate algorithm computed by the microcontroller. The fingerprint sensor 805 is conveniently located which provide lockout security based on the operator's fingerprints. Fingerprint identification algorithm is performed by the microcontroller 815. Multiple fingerprints may be stored within the system to allow access to more than one user.

The belt-fed operation is driven by the same the scotch yoke key assembly used for the bolt action but it is done through additional linkages and gearing. An index servo 802 is used to track cartridge indexing and count. A second electric motor is optional to the design. Standard design for magazine loading is compatible with the BCG design of this present invention and should not require any special modifications.

Because the present invention is non-gas operated, all sub-assemblies associated with gas-operated automatics are eliminated such as gas tube, recoil spring, dampers, gas pistons, and rods. Being void of gas-operated sub-assemblies gives great opportunity for designs involving significant weight reduction.

The method of the present application includes a number of product enhancements and benefits, including: 1) Faster Rate and Variable Rate of Fire (Rounds-per-Second, RPS); 2) User-Selectable Burst Rate; 3) No Gas-Loss in Muzzle Velocity; 4) Belt-Fed Autoloader; and 5) Microprocessor based closed-loop controlled.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the application may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. It is apparent that an application with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A firearm, comprising: a firearm frame; a bolt carrier group configured to regulate the firing and reloading of cartridges, the bolt carrier group including a firing pin; a firing solenoid coupled to the bolt carrier group and configured to electro-mechanically actuate the firing pin; a microcontroller coupled to the firearm frame and configured to regulate operation of the firing pin by communicating with the firing solenoid; an electric motor in communication with the microcontroller and the firing solenoid; and a rectilinear reciprocating actuator in communication with the electric motor and configured to generate a reciprocating motion for automatic cyclic functioning of the firearm.
 2. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the firing solenoid is coupled to an optical index sensor which is configured to provide feedback data to the microprocessor.
 3. The firearm of claim 2, wherein the optical index sensor provides positional reference to the microprocessor via a linear encoder.
 4. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is a closed loop system.
 5. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor automatically adjusts a sight on the firearm frame.
 6. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor can vary burst rate settings.
 7. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is configured to regulate at least one of performance of a bolt action, firing of at least one of the cartridges, and belt feed operations.
 8. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor interfaces with a plurality of actuators and sensors using a weapons bus
 9. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the firearm is void of a gas-operated subassembly.
 10. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising: a biometric system to selectively permit firing of the firearm
 11. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising: a touch screen display interface configured to permit a user to input information into the microprocessor.
 12. A method of regulating the automatic cycling function of a firearm, comprising: providing the firearm of claim 1; and generating a complete automatic cyclic functioning by regulating performance of the rectilinear reciprocating actuator via the microprocessor, the microprocessor being a closed loop system providing feedback related to the firing of the cartridges.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: adjusting operation of the firing pin to compensate for environmental conditions.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: adjusting operation of a sight in response to
 15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: tracking the location of the firing pin through an optical index sensor.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor is configured to receive input data from the optical index sensor and automatically adjust operation of the firing pin.
 17. The method of claim 12, further comprising: communicating with a biometric security device on the firearm frame.
 18. The method of claim 12, further comprising: modifying a burst rate of the firearm through the microprocessor. 